The Senate and the House of Representatives at its plenary session of Wednesday, 19 January 2022 re-committed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for further amendments and passage.

Presenting the motion for re-committal, the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Abdullahi Yahaya (APC: Kebbi) and the Chairman, Committee on Rules and Business in the House of Representatives, Hon. Hassan Abubakar Fulata (APC: Jigawa) during the respective sittings of both Chambers, stated the re-committal of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021  is as a result of the observations made by President Muhammadu Buhari on Clause 84 which deals with the procedure for the nomination of political party candidates, and subsequently his decision to withhold assent.

In line with the Standing Orders of the Senate and the Standing Rules of the House of Representatives, lawmakers had dissloved into the Committee of the Whole to rescind its earlier decision on the affected Clause in the Bill, and re-commit same for consideration and passage.

In the Senate, the President of the Senate, Sen. Ahmed Lawan had informed lawmakers that any further proposals for amendment would be considered and incorporated during the “clean up” of the Bill. He further noted that the new amendments had made provisions for the adoption of direct primaries or indirect primaries or consensus candidature by political parties as the procedure for the nomination of candidates for elective positions.

In the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC: Lagos) laid emphasis on the need to adhere to the observations made by President Buhari on Clause 84,  urging lawmakers to refrain from proposing any further amendments to the said provision of the Bill.